This resource consists of four modules with teachers? guides: 1) Temperature Variations and Habitability, 2) Modeling Hot and Cold Planets, 3) Using Mathematical Models to Investigate Planetary Habitability, and 4) How Do Atmospheres Affect Planetary Atmospheres. Scientific inquiry and the research tools used to do research play a major role in these modules. Presented with a science problem, students ... Full description.

This site uses Virtual Reality field trips in the Alvin submarine to the East Pacific Rise to explore hydrothermal vents. The education activites focus on 4 activities: Exploration, Observing (actual video from the seafloor), Mapping, and Collecting a Water Sample. Teaching materials for each of the explorations have been provided, each with two levels of assessment (basic and advanced). Full description.

Until recently, the total energy imparted to the oceans from the moon's gravitational pull has not been fully accounted for: about 30 percent had seemingly vanished without mathematical explanation. The total energy dissipating along the world's shallow areas and coasts don't add up to the expected total. However, data collected by the U.S./French satellite called TOPEX/Poseidon may provide the answer. ... Full description.

Sound Health 2001 highlights water quality conditions, the status of living organisms, trends in land use and development, and other indicators of environmental health for Long Island Sound. Materials presented here address the following questions: Are the waters and sediments getting cleaner?, Are fish and wildlife populations more abundant?, Are fish and wildlife habitats being protected and restored?, ... Full description.

This article discusses the necessity of locating water ice as astronauts explore the solar system, for oxygen and fuel as well as for drinking. Topics include the possible occurrence of ice at the lunar poles and in comets, and some of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) missions to locate it. Full description.

The site focuses on the responses of Antarctica and its sea ice to climate changes. Two experiments help illustrate what happens as water warms and how this warming could affect sea levels and low-lying coastal areas. Links to more detailed information are also provided. Full description.

This Web site includes the following sections: Discovery of Infrared; What is Infrared?; Infrared Astronomy; Atmospheric Windows; Near, Mid & Far Infrared; IR Astronomy Timeline; Background & Technology; The Infrared Universe; Infrared Spectroscopy; News & Discoveries; and Images & Videos. Full description.

This website has gathered images taken at different wavelengths by a variety of ground-based and space-borne observatories, including selected astronomical objects in the famous Messier catalog, as well as for some non-Messier objects. An online gallery introduces the wealth of data available at wavelengths beyond the familiar visible light. Users will discover some important characteristics of astronomical ... Full description.

In this episode of Space Pace Live, the kids interview a cartoon version of the GOES satellite Deputy Project scientists, Andre Dress. Andre works at NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He talked with Kate and Kyro about the new GOES-O (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites) weather satellite as it was being prepared for launch. NASA Space Place Web site for kids ... Full description.

This factcard is about the significance of the pattern of microwave radiation that MAP has detected. The card uses the analogy of human fingerprints to show the ability to identify the right "suspect" from the pattern. (4" x 6") Full description.